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Saturday, May 31, 2008

3390.29, Radio Emisoras Camargo, Camargo, 0000-0027, May 15 and 16, mix of music and talk, sounded like it was still there at 0053, but definitely gone by 0110 recheck. Just not strong enough to dig it out of the noise. (Valko and Wilkner)

4699.40, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta, 1020-1030, May 18, music with Spanish comments afterwards. Signal's peak period has already passed with it now being almost threshold; and by 1030, signal almost having disappeared. (Bolland). Also heard at 0130-0150, May 20 and 22, Spanish ann, Andean pop songs, 35232. (Petersen)

4800, UNID (Radio Virgen de Remedios, Tupiza ?), 2240-0315, May 20 and 21, many mentions in Spanish of Bolivia in a news programme "Bolivia en Contacto" with reports from some cities "bloqueo de carreteras en Cochabamba y otras cidades". At 2302 suddenly a religious music and preacher (with that reverbaration from a church, sounding like R Virgen de Remedios) in religious ceremony in memory for some dead persons, mentioning their names. At 0004, it had returned to that kind of audio heard when it was "Bolivia en Contacto", mentioning "Radio Catolica Mundial". Relay R Católica Mundial-WEWN with ID, but no IDs heard of R Virgen de Remedios, 32322, QRM China. (Aragão and Bobrowiec)

5580.2, Radio San José, San José de Chiquitos, 2230-0010, May 15 and 24, Spanish, songs and music, advs (p), some utility interference, 25332. (Gonçalves and Wilkner)

The Voice of America’s additional English broadcast to Asia at 0200-0300 UTC is to discontinued as from today, so the following transmissions are cancelled:9780 kHz at 0200-0300 UTC from Sri Lanka11705 kHz at 0200-0300 UTC from Thailand(Source: DXAsia/Alokesh Gupta, India)

Price changes: Portugal now $1.70 down from $1.90Sweden now $2.30 up from $1.90 (new supply costing me more than the old selling price!)Peru now $3.00 up from $2.00Colombia now $3.50 up from $2.75These last 2: Weak dollar even against these currencies, plus I am ordering fewer each re-order and the posting and registration fees get spread out over fewer stamps...

Update "Peel and Seal" adhesive: We contacted our manufacturer...the cost is way too high to consider. We would have to greatly increase the size of our order (to a 5 yr.+ supply!), find storage space for them AND, increase the selling price for the Euro. air returns to about $30 for 100 envelopes! I'll have to pass on this. I don't think anyone would go for it anyway!We Will Keep Envelopes as "Lick and Stick" adhesive.

Here's an idea from one customer:

He doesn't seal the mailing envelope and he gets a VERY nice return rate too!

Hi Bill:First, I make sure the flap tucks in the SASE and QSL so it cannot fall out. If the thief works in the post office and opens a sealed envelope he has to then smuggle it out and get rid of it. If its open he either ignores it (who would put money in an open envelope), or looks inside. When he sees nothing worth stealing, he just tucks the flap back in or seals the flap and puts it back in the system, doesn't have to run any risk in smuggling it out.Thanks for checking for me on the Russia to Australia postage.73 Reg

"Whatever Works" is the motto for QSL hunters!

Specials for June are:

JUNE 2008 DX STAMP SPECIALS

3 Canada $3.00 3 UK-$3.60 3 Japan-$3.60

200/200 European Air Mailers & Returns $35

300/300 Stateside Mailers & Returns $23

2 Standard QSL Albums $40

Shipping charges extra on supply specials

PRIORITY MAIL Shipping Rates for Supplies

Orders under $16.00 add $6.50, Orders from $16.00 to $4000 add $9.00, Orders from $41.00 to $100.00 add $13.00, Orders from $101.00 to $150.00 add $18.00, orders over $150.00 add 12%. When ordering supplies AND stamps, use supply total to figure shipping costs. Stamps “ride free” when you order supplies. Shipments to Canada ship at a greater cost. (04/2008)(Source: Bill Plum)

Include a self-addressed-envelope for his current price list or request a price list via email at plumdx@msn.com . The prices represent Airmail rate to North America. Prices are subject to change without notice. No mimimum order via check, money order or credit card, but credit card orders under $ 15.00 will incur a $ 2.00 extra charge. Visa, MC, AMEX are accepted. Please include billing and shipping address for AMEX. Bill also has an email newsletter service of monthly specials, and email orders are welcomed!

Due to the change to Daylight Saving Time in Pakistan the following changes are effective from tomorrow, 1 June, for the Voice of America’s Urdu service:MW 972 and 1539 kHz at 1300-0100 (ex-1400-0200) UTCSW service at 0000-0100 UTC(ex-0100-0200) UTC on 7135 and 11755 kHzSW service 1300-1400 UTC (ex-1400-1500) UTC on 9340 and 15790 kHz.(Source: DXAsia/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Belarusian foreign ministry’s refusal on 28 May to issue accreditation to reporter Alyaksey Minchonak of Radio Racyja, a station based in the Polish city of Bialystok that broadcasts to Belarus. This latest obstacle for the station comes a month after the police raided its Minsk bureau and seized equipment.“The authorities are continuing to harass Radio Racyja, one of the few independent news outlets in Belarus,” the press freedom organisation said. “We call for an end to this administrative persecution, which is motivated solely by political considerations.”Minchonak was summoned to the foreign ministry on 28 May and was told his request for accreditation had been turned down on the grounds that he had already begun to work without permission.The decision was “absurd,” Minchonak told Reporters Without Borders. “One the one hand, the foreign ministry targets us for working without accreditation, while on the other hand it continues to refuse our requests.”The police still have not returned the five computers and other equipment they seized in the raid on Radio Racyja’s Minsk bureau a month ago. The pretext for the raid was the station’s alleged role in creating animated cartoons posted on the Internet in 2005, which were deemed to have insulted President Alexandre Lukashenko.Radio Racyja was launched in 1999 by the Polish government and the Dutch embassy in Warsaw. Its repeated requests for accreditation in Belarus have always been rejected by the foreign ministry. It broadcasts from Poland and has a network of correspondents in Belarus who work without accreditation. It often criticises the government, unlike Belarus’ own state-controlled radio stations.(Source: Reporters Without Borders/R Netherlands Media Network)

*** Reloaded ***Your chance to catch up with some of the highlights from recent programmes; the best, the most interesting or newsworthy, or sometimes the funniest, chosen by our producers and presented by Mindy Ran.

The Sea Shepherd is an "aggressively non-violent" conservation group - we'll find out what that means and how they came to be flying the Dutch flag.

Also, the Dutch Identity - we look at how Dutch indifference might lose them business with expats. And we visit an art exhibition about being Dutch and becoming Dutch and what that really means.

To wrap it all up, our Political Editor John Tyler will be in with Headlines from the Hague and we'll squeeze in a little Dutch music. And of course we'll be announcing the winner of our Curious Orange Koninginnedag contest.

Amnesty International recently lamented that many of those targeted for human rights abuse around the are often the people trying to bring about change in their communities against the wishes of the ruling governments. So we meet the people of Peace Brigades International, volunteers who accompany activists under threat in the hope that their presence will discourages attacks. And we speak with Amnesty about the job of defending Human Rights defenders.

In this week's focus we look at the right to be Muslim and gay. Mazin, a gay Egyptian man, tells the story of how he was arrested and imprisoned in Cairo for "debauchery or offences against public morality and sensitivities". Despite his treatment, he remains a faithful Muslim. We compare his experience to that of Emrecan, who lives in Istanbul, a city known for its relative tolerance of homosexuality. And we meet Muhsin Hendricks, who is gay and an Imam, about how his sexuality affects his work.

The first runner-up in our Radio Books 2008 competition comes from author and writing teacher Janice Levy from Merrick, New York. Her stories have appeared in numerous literary journals. She has published children's books in both English and Spanish.

Her winning story "The Scorpion Wore Pink Shoes" is about an illegal immigrant from Costa Rica who works in a hotel in the United States. The jury was impressed with her rich use of language and the finely observed central character.

A Pan European team links up across the continent each week to provide a fresh perspective on events and life in Europe.

The programme is a unique example of European co-operation, produced by the continent's leading international broadcasters, it reflects the diversity of European society and voices. Each week we drop in on specialists around Europe and catch up with our extensive network of correspondents for their unique take on the events shaping the week.

*** Bridges with Africa ***Lively discussion and thought-provoking reports about and from the African continent. We're giving the microphone to Diaspora groups in Europe and linking up with stations in Africa. The show goes beyond the clichés of starving children and war-ridden countries and seeks to bring you genuine voices from a vibrant continent.

The "AUSTRALIAN DX REPORT", is a free service of the ELECTRONIC DX PRESS RADIO MONITORING ASSOCIATION and contains professionally compiled information about world shortwave broadcasting, with monitoring research.

The site allows you to listen to the ADXR and other audio features directly (streaming audio) via your MP3 player, or via the site's embedded mini-player. Podcasts, full RSS/XML/Atom feeds, and free subscriptions are supported - full details are at the site.

The Turkish Parliament passed a bill on Thursday allowing the state-owned television Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) to broadcast programs in languages other than Turkish, paving the way for broadcasts in Kurdish, Arabic and Farsi.TRT will now be able to allocate one of its channels to 24-hour broadcasts in Kurdish. TRT General Director Ibrahim Zahin has said they plan to broadcast in Kurdish, Arabic and Farsi in the initial stages of their non-Turkish programming. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted at this in a speech in Diyarbakir on Tuesday, when he announced the government’s plan to resuscitate the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog).

The newly inaugurated and upgraded Kargil radio station of All India Radio in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will soon broadcast daily news bulletin in Balti to encourage local and Pakistan’s Northern Areas’ audiences. Broadcasting Corporation of India Chief Executive Officer BS Lalli said the Balti service would go on air within the next two months.The J&K chief minister has inaugurated the 200 kW high power transmitter of All India Radio at Kargil [on 684 kHz]. He said the transmission hours of the radio station would be extended from five hours at present to ten hours, with five hours of transmission in local languages and the rest for Urdu transmission.(Source: Daily Times and Indian newspapers/Alokesh Gupta, India)

There should be tighter controls on the management of the BBC’s website - in part to prevent it stifling commercial rivals, the BBC Trust has said, reports BBC News. After reviewing bbc.co.uk, the trust said it was “an excellent service” but that its content had to be different from that on rival websites. And it criticised the site’s management for a £3.5 million overspend last year.The report is the first of a number of reviews of the BBC’s services as part of its new charter and agreement. The trust, an independent body which works on behalf of licence payers, has taken responsibility for such reviews from the Culture Secretary to establish greater independence for the BBC from the government.In its report, the trust said the BBC website delivered great public value to the “vast numbers who use it [and] love it”. It said the site had 16.5 million users each month and continued to grow despite competition.Representatives of competitors, including ITN and the Newspaper Society, were consulted as part of the review.(Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

For those of you interested in the European FootballChampionships, which start in just over a week’s time, I’m pleased to report that we have today launched our blog in English, called Euro 2008 - the armchair fan. That’s because, like most people, we’ll be following events at home on TV. We did one four years ago for Euro 2004, but I ended up writing most of it myself as blogging wasn’t something in the consciousness of most people at RNW. This time, it’s going to be more of a team effort, appropriately enough.To open the blog, Theo Tamis has a personal view of last night’s friendly in Eindhoven in which the Netherlands only managed a 1-1 draw with Denmark. He’s concerned about the shaky defence.I’ve also added a commentary about something that appeared in our local paper yesterday, claiming that people in my neigbourhood are among the least enthusiastic about supporting the national team.(Source: R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Solar activity was very low. No X-ray flares were observed during the period. Regions 994 (S12, L=310, class/area, Bxo/020 on 19 May) and 996 (N09, L=256, class/area, Bxo/010 on 19 May) were on the disk when the period began as B-type groups. By 21 May both of these regions had decayed to spotless plage, and remained spotless through the remainder of the period.

The geomagnetic field was at quiet to unsettled levels during the summary period. Activity levels did increase on 21 May to quiet to active levels due to a coronal hole high speed stream. Solar wind speed measurements from the ACE spacecraft began the period at around 340 km/s and slowly increased to a maximum of approximately 630 km/s at 1432 UTC on 21 May. The inter-planetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component during this time ranged between +/- 7. Solar wind speeds declined throughout the rest of the summary period to end at about 450 km/s, with IMF Bz ranging between +/- 5.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity28 May - 23 June 2008

Solar activity is expected to be very low.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels during 01 - 10 June and 19 - 23June.

The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet levels on 28 May. On 29 May a coronal hole high speed stream is expected to rotate into a geoeffective position and increase activity levels to quiet to unsettled levels; isolated periods of active conditions may be observed during this period. On 10 June activity levels should decrease again to mostly quiet conditions through 14 June. Another coronal hole high speed stream is expected to impact the geomagnetic field on 15 June. Activity levels should increase again to quiet to unsettled levels, with a chance for isolated active conditions. On 23 June conditions are expected to be at quiet levels.

4886.21, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan, via Al-Sulaymaniyah, No. Iraq, 0205-0235, May 20, Kurdish, Call to Prayer, jammed 33333, however at 0209 the station jumped to 4860.39 and read news and played folksongs while the jammer stayed on 4886.21! Maybe the Iranian jamming operator was sleepy! 35444. (Petersen)

7120, Radio Voice of the People, via Talata-Volonondry, Madagascar, *1700-1728, May 01 and 05, Shona/Ndebele with English ID's, often mentions Zimbabwe, SINPO 34433. At *1728 QRM R Rossii in Russian. (Schulze)

17875, West Africa Democracy Radio, via Skelton, UK, 0700-1100 to West Africa in English/French/English/French via VT Communications relay has been cancelled from May 19. (Ivanov, via BC-DX May 26). Not heard on May 26. (Petersen)

17875, Radio Xoriyo, Voice of the Ogadeni People, via Samara, 1405-1430*, Tu May 13, long talk in Somali, short string and flue music piece at 1410, conversation, flute and vocal at 1425, talk and then drumming to s/off at 1430, all of this at poor level but with occasional peaks to fair. (Ronda)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Happy second anniversary to the Shortwave Central blog. This is simply the best place on the Internet to get the latest information on what is happening on the shortwave radio bands and apparently a quarter of a million visitors to this blog agree.

Gayle and I would like to thank all who have contributed to the effort to make this blog one of the best in the world of radio. No one else even gets close in reader traffic or news content.

Again thanks to all who have made these blogs possible with your stories and frequencies.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Subject: Loggings in VietnamI just returned from vacation in Vietnam (my 5th vacation in Bao Loc in about 10 years). Some of these loggings are a few weeks old. My friends’ Internet provider was having problems, and although Internet cafes are everywhere in Vietnam and usually have 20 to 30 computers, they are always full kids playing games with others waiting in line. So I had to wait until I returned home to report my loggings.

I really have nothing outstanding to report. There are even more Chinese stations than when I was in Vietnam in 2005. And, like in ’05, although I checked the listed frequencies often I was unable to hear any of the regional Vietnam stations. This may have been due to my modest equipment (Yacht Boy 400 and a 20 ft. indoor wire) or the very limited time these stations are on the air. In my earliest visits to Vietnam I heard a few of these, but broadcasts sometimes lasted only 15 minutes or so.

A number of stations I had hoped to log were not heard—some of the rarer Indonesians, Radio Sedayee Kashmir, Voice of Jammu & Kashmir Freedom, and others. Radio Wantok Light was always covered by CRI. There was no sign of Radio Free Asia’s Mandarin or Korean broadcasts on MW (I was probably a long way from the transmitter sites—wherever they are), and while most of the Indian regional sites were heard, they were barely audible.

Here are a few I did hear.BhutanBhutan Broadcasting Service, 6035 1401-1500 English. News at 1401; then, in BBS’s Buddhism series, on May 9 a man with an American accent spoke about the 3 Educations. Some days had pop music—including Falling In Love Again and You Give Me Something—with announcements by a woman. Off at 1500. Always weak under Yunnan PBS (in Vietnamese & Chinese) which also usually closed at 1500, although once it went off at 1410 and several times continued beyond 1500. (Craighead-Kansas, USA, & Lam Dong, Vietnam)

MyanmarMyanmar Radio. 9731 0700-0900 English; frequency (9730) & id by a woman, then news. 0708 very eclectic (pop, rock, rap, Asian) music program; on May 1 selections included Stephen Foster’s Camptown Races with the lyrics changed to “Everybody sing this song, Doo-dah! doo-dah! . . . Oh! doo-dah-day!” At 0730 music program continued in presumed Bamar. Off at 0900. Signal was usually good. (Craighead-Kansas, USA, & Lam Dong, Vietnam)

The Ministry of Information in Yemen is preparing a law allowing the broadcast of private television channels and radio stations, said the Minister of Information, Hassan al-Lawzi. “We are currently working with the Ministries of Legal Affairs and Communications and Information Technology to issue two laws related to communications audiovisual information,” he stated. Al-Lawzi made this announcement at the opening ceremony of the third festival of radio and television, organized by the Faculty of the Information at Sana’a University.

“The media has become a huge force for national development and we cannot stand in front of its contributions. The Ministry of Information and Media Organizations is contemplating how to make our media assume its responsibilities in aiding real development and freedom of opinion and thinking,” he added.

Al-Lawzi stated that the political leadership’s instructions were clear about recognizing the role of media space in Yemen, pointing to the opening of a bouquet of Yemen Television. He emphasized the opening of a religious-oriented channel in the coming stage on the bouquet of Yemen, which will fill the vacuum and play a key role in media work. “The most important step is to expand participation in media freedoms, and the University of Sana’a plays a major role in producing media professionals who can forge dynamic institutions that enrich our community,” he added.(Source: Yemen Observer/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Central African Republic7220, Radio Centrafrique, Bimbo, 1013-1635, May 03, Vernacular talks, Afropops, talks, 35443 but later under other stations, e.g. Vietnam at 1630. It was poorer the next day, Su May 04, at around 1000. (Gonçalves)

Dominican Republic5009.8, Radio Pueblo, 2353-0001*, Apr 30, lively Latin pop vocals with ann and Spanish talk, ID, some guitar music. A man began speaking at 0000 but carrier was cut while he spoke. Poor to fair in noisy conditions. (D'Angelo)

Ecuador6125, HCJB, Pifo, 0925-0935, Apr 29, Ecuadorian Folk music and Quichua comments, very weak which should not be the case, if they are using 100 kW as the PWBR says? Possibly I am in the skip zone or there is a transmitter problem? (Bolland)

Gabon7270, Radio Diff. TV Gabonaise, Melen, 1017-1415, May 03, French live report on some women held cultural exhibition, speeches, talks, 35443, very weak at 1400. Distorted spur noted 94 kHz above and below 7270, and while that theharmonic on 14540 was still heard. (Gonçalves)

Guinea7125, Radio Guinée, Sonfonya, 1040-1415, May 03, Vernacular talks, African songs, 35422 and almost inaudible at 1400. (Gonçalves). Also noted at 2200-2210, Apr 25, news in French from Guinea, 34333. (Méndez)

India4970, All India Radio-Shillong, 1207-1258, May 10, sub-continental music, occasional ann, talk or news segment at 1230, 1245 English, ID: "This is the North Eastern Service of All India Radio with our Western music program broadcasting from Shillong", pop songs in English, fair to poor. This program has been in this time slot from at least 2006. (Howard and Wilkins via DXplorer)

9470, All India Radio-Aligarh. For some days the AIR National channel at 1320-0043 was not heard. Instead some spurious signals were noted around 9510. This was informed to the concerned officials on May 12 and since then 9470 was found OK. (Jacob)

The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) yesterday began trial DRM digital broadcasts for listeners abroad. Presenting the project, BNR Director General Valery Todorov said “We hope to be able to attract attention to the need for more accelerated rates in joining the digital era”.The digital trials will continue with a six-hour long mix of BNR’s three channels - Horizont, Hristo Botev and Radio Bulgaria in five languages. The broadcasts are designed for citizens of Central and Western Europe as well as the extensive Bulgarian Diaspora there.The new technology will make it possible to effect substantial cutbacks on BNR broadcasting costs, improve the quality of the service and transmit an integrated multimedia product, Valery Todorov said.(Source: Radio Bulgaria) According to the DRM website, the schedule is:0600-1200 Fri-Sun on 11900 kHz 0900-1200 Mon-Thu on 11900 kHz 1300-1600 Mon-Thu on 9700 kHz All beamed 306 degrees, with 20 kW power(Source: R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

This year marks 30 years since the launching of theVoice of Russia World Service in English, formed aspart of the English-language Service of Radio Moscow that was on the air since 1929. On October 3, 1978,the new service began round-the-clock broadcastsbeamed throughout the world.In the run-up to the anniversary we invite you toshare with us your most vivid memories andimpressions, reminiscences of your first encounter with the World Service broadcasts on the airwaves,your impressions of our programs, both of the past andthe present day, recollections about our broadcasters,staff writers, announcers - anything you would like toshare with us and other listeners of the World Service in English. Your letters may be sent to us by the regular mail, bye-mail or voice e-mail. You may record them on a CD or audio cassette. Anything you wish to contribute iswelcome. Your most interesting entries will beincluded in our programs and posted on the web site,and your voice letters - played in our programs on theair. Write to us at: the Voice of Russia World Service, Moscow, Russia, or e-mail to us at: world@ruvr.ru Thank you in advance for your cooperation.(Source: Sakthi Vel)

Security has been tightened around the premises of the Malagasy state TV and radio stations following rumours that some military officers were planning to stage a coup, the independent newspaper Les Nouvelles web site reported on 27 May.About eight armed soldiers have been deployed around the offices of the Television Malagasy (TVM) and Radio Nationale Malagasy (RNM) in the capital Antananarivo in a bid to control movements by staff. The Les Nouvelles web site said details are “still sketchy” on the alleged plot.An unnamed official of the radio downplayed the deployment and termed the exercise “a simple security measure”.A renowned presenter with the state TV confirmed the cir rumorsculation of rumours that “some high-ranking army officers were planning to forcefully get in and go live”, while a high-ranking officer with the national gendarmerie confirmed knowledge of the alleged plot, which he said “could be a move to destabilize the country”. He added that “this should not be taken lightly”.BBCM observed that state TV did not mention any coup rumours and proceeded with normal programming in its 27 May 1000 gmt bulletin.(Sources: Les Nouvelles website, Antananarivo, in French 27 May 08; Television Nationale Malagasy, Antananarivo, in Malagasy 1000 gmt 27 May 08, both via BBC Monitoring/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Today's pirate logs are a sampling from the last two Free Radio Weekly newsletters. Thanks to the FRW gang.Gayle VH

All times UTC *sign-on sign-off *

Captain Morgan6925USB 5/18 0100-0125* Fair to good signal. ID as Captain Morgan in the pirate zone. Transmitter had some drift to lower frequencies. Songs by Jimmy Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield and a parody song Hillary with other sixties and seventies music.(Majewsk CT)

MAC Radio6850.84AM,5-11-08,0130. Signal poor with static. Music tune "It's So Easy To Fall In Love" and others. (Hassig-IL)

Maple Leaf Radio6925USB 5/11/8 23:21 SIO 423. SIgnal very noisy, but strong. "Clap for the Wolfman" to ID at 23:23, "No Time", "These Eyes". Station off at 23:31 with ID.(Fansome, PA)

Radio Appalachia6924.8AM 5/11/8 00:15 SIO 231. Just above the noise with Jerry Garcia and bluegrass music. No ID noted, this is very similar to their last broadcast. Stooges “Quiet numbskulls, I'm broadcasting". Station ID at 00:42 (Fansome, PA)

The Wave6925USB 0106-0116 5/18/08 SIO=141+. Program of rock mx including Riders on the Storm by the Doors, I'm Your Captain by Grand Funk Railroad, and other rock tunes. IDs during show by male announcer giving the Belfast address and mentioning the 6925 frequency. I was actually unid on this transmission, but it was followed by a repeat of the same show, where the IDs were definite. (Zeller-OH)

Voice of the Angry Bastard6925.3 AM 05/14/08 23:43 SINPO 25332. Tuned in to hear "Hell Yeah, Your listening to the Voice of the Angry Bastard." Into very angry punk music. Gloria, faint signal in lots of noise. (Ragnar-MI)

Wolverine Radio6925USB 05/15/08 00:10- SINPO 43434. Hey Hey Goodbye, Strange Love, Do You Realize, Into The Mystic. Strong signal with a slight AM hum of second station playing techno music. (Ragnar-MI)

Channel Z6925USB 0227-0233*. 25 May 08. English. First log of this station. The last few minutes of the bx. Music by Alice Cooper, “Elected”and The Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the UK.” ID and uncopied email address. SIgnal fair to poor quality. (J Wood, TN)

International Shortwave6925USB 0237-0249/0311-0315. 25 May 08. English. First log of this station. “Turn up the Radio” heard twice along with “Funky Town.” Several IDs. Signal fair-poor. (J Wood, TN)

Radio First Termer6925USB 1740-1936. 25 May 08. English. First log of this station. Male announcer “Dave Rabbit” with show reminiscent of AFRTS Vietnam era broadcasts. IDs as “Radio First Termer, 69 megacycles.” music included items from Bloodrock, Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night, Jimi Hendrix, and others. Faint but clear signal that improved in strength as the show progressed. Fair. (J. Wood, TN).

A committee formed by the Ministry of Information to investigate irregularities at Radio Kuwait has recommended that the case file should be referred to the Public Prosecution, reports Al-Jareedah daily. A report submitted by the said committee stated that, as a result of the irregularities, the project to strengthen the mediumwave band at Radio Kuwait was delayed for four years. Moreover, the suspects are said to have violated the terms and conditions of the contract.(Source: Arab Times/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Today sees the first broadcasts of Radio Euro, which takes over from the now defunct Radio BiS. Radio Euro is the first fully multimedia radio station run by public broadcaster Polskie Radio.

Polskie Radio Euro is to include more news services, including sports bulletins. The station also offers information on the upcoming Euro 2008 championships and ongoing preparation in Poland for the Euro 2012 football championships to be held in Poland and the Ukraine.

The station went online today at 0600, with its new breakfast show ‘Po bandzie’, hosted by Witold Odrobina, a known radio journalist who has previously worked for RMF FM and AntyRadio. Radio Euro offers new services, including a new website, which is to include podcasts and provides a webcam for listeners to see what’s going on live in the station’s studio.

Many programmes have adopted a new format, although one show has been rolled over from Radio BIS, being Bis Up, a show that concentrates on popular culture and foreign languages.The station’s website includes audio, radio, and society portals for listeners to interact with the station. Polskie Radio Euro has taken over frequencies once used by Radio BIS, and can be found at www.polskieradioeuro .(Source: Polskie Radio/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has suspended all broadcasts by private radio stations in Malawi as riots and protests erupted in parts of the country over the arrest of former president Dr Bakili Muluzi at Lilongwe airport after he returned from Great Britain. Mr Muluzi is accused of planning a coup d’état against incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika.(Source: Nyasa Times/RNW News/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

RVA antenna's damaged by typhoon CosmeRadio Veritas Asia informs that during the height of the typhoon Cosme nine out of fifteen antennas in Palauig transmitter site were destroyed. To cope up with this deficiency some of RVA broadcasts have been substituted with available spare antennas (as given below). With this signal deterioration is expected in some of target areas. RVA is trying their best to restore allthe antennas in their normal working condition in the soonest possible time.

Temporary Antenna Substitution

Morning broadcast SW1:Mandarin program at 10/280 instead of 11/350Filipino program at 8/331 instead of 7/331Sinhala/Hindi programs at 5/280 instead of 9/280Urdu program at 16/300 instead of 13/300Vietnamese program at 16/300 instead of 16/280

Morning Broadcast SW2:Vietnamese program at 10/280 instead of 9/280Russian program at 8/331 instead of 12/030

Morning broadcast SW3:No Changes

Evening Broadcast SW1:Mandarin program at 8/332 instead of 17/355Hmong program at 10/280 instead of 9/280Vatican program at 10/280 instead of 17/355Filipino program at 10/280 instead of 14/300

Hi mis amigos radioaficionados around the world and those of you now orbiting our planet!!! Welcome to the weekend edition of your favorite listener oriented, and surely technically minded radio hobby program... YES... you are listening to Dxers Unlimited, the one and only short wave program devoted to each and every aspect of our wonderful passtime...not just to boring lists of stations that can be heard only at a certain specific location...

When you spend part of your spare time with your radios... you can, like during this weekend enjoy the thrill of a two way ham radio contact half way around the world using a very low power QRP transmitter in the middle of one of the year´s most important CW contests,the CQ Magazine sponsored WPX CW prefix contest, or you can have a lot of fun during a 2 meters band fox hunt at one of your city's parks... but that´s not all, you can also spend many hours optimizing your new TV Dxing antenna system now that sporadic E layer openings are happening every day....

SI AMIGOS, YES MY FRIENDS..OUI MES AMIS,.radio is unique in the sense that there is always something to learn, to experiment with, and to enjoy... I am Arnie Coro in Havana, my ham radio call sign isCO2KK, and you can hear my amateur radio station often on the 40, 30 and 20 meter bands CW segments using my new 2 Watt rig, connected to a wideband antenna that is working very well indeed.

Now here is item one of today's Dxers Unlimited... As the summersolstice is approaching, now less than a month away, we are seeing late evening band openings on the 30 and 20 meter amateur bands, and very good reception of international short wave broadcasts on the 31an 25 meter bands.

Item Two: Many e-mail messages keep coming in to my inforhc@enet.cu account every day, and it's really nice to see how Dxers Unlimited's listeners worldwide continue to enjoy this program and bring in so many new ideas, suggestions and questions for me to review. Among the most recently revived ideas was to create at least one CD ROM disk with the best of Dxers Unlimited for the past several years... and then make it available to those interested... Sure it's a good idea that will require a lot of work on my part, something I am just starting to do during this weekend...

Item Three: Simple wire antennas continue to fascinate many of you amigos, among them the ultra compact two element QUAD antenna for the two meters amateur band, that can be built in a few hours using standard PVC insulated wire used for household installations and PVC plastic pipe and standard fittings for it. But be aware of an interesting phenomenon... if you don't strip the wire of its plastic insulation, the dimensions of the antenna will be different than those coming from the standard two elements VHF QUAD antenna formula... And also there is a very nice and easy to use software program to calculate a VHF QUAGI antenna, a neat ombination of a two element QUAD and several linear parasitic director elements...

By the way that program, which is freeware, is available by just sending me an e-mail message requesting the QUAGI antenna design program... send your request to inforhc@enet.cu , again inforhc@enet.cu , and I'll e-mail the software to you as a small dot zip attachment attachment...

Item Four: A simple, rugged, flexible, roll up ,easy to transport solar photovoltaic panel, a lead acid gel cell accumulator and a simple home brewed voltage regulator will power up your low power amateur radio station and your short wave receiver at anytime... The solar energy option is excellent for your emergency communications kit, and you will be pleasantly surprised how even in somewhat dark days, the silicon solar cells can provide enough energy to charge up the battery for nighttime use.

A five or ten watt power solar panel is ideal for this application, and let me add that many ham radio contests have now special entry categories that provide bonus points for stations using solar or wind energy for powering the equipment during the contest. Amateur radio contests participants . like the many hams involved during this weekend worldwide CQ WPX CW prefixes ontests, learn a lot about fast and efficient communications procedures and field installations, something that is extremely useful when actual emergencies come up to your community .

Item Five: The number of amateur radio stations in some countries is extremely small. This is seen especially in the African continent, where the presence of DX expeditions of people visiting from developed nations is often the only possible source of a two way contact with that DX entity. My perception is that helping to develop amateur radio in Africa will be extremely useful for the people of that continent, and this is an effort that could be very well linked to already ongoing projects designed to provide Internet access from remote locations using satellitetechnology.

Item Six: Tropical Band DX season is now, for all practical purpose over in our northern hemisphere... high noise levels, typical of the summer months make Dxing on the 120, 90 and 60 meters Tropical Broadcast Bands extremely difficult during the evening hours. Nevertheless, very early morning monitoring of the 4.6 to 5.1 megahertz segment of the short wave spectrum will still make possible some nice catches, because at that time there is minimal ionospheric absorption and the daily distribution of thunderstorm activity is also at a minimum...

One not too nice thing happening to Tropical Band Dxers is that many of their favorite stationsare going off the air, due to many different reasons, among them the rapid velopment of FM broadcast stations in areas forming served by Tropical Band broadcasts, and the high cost to broadcasters of keeping on the air old vacuum tube transmitters for which replacement parts are more and more difficult to find, and when found are extremely expensive. Cuba uses the Tropical 60 meters band for providing a nationwide service to so called silence zones, especially nations four main mountain regions, where night time AM and FM coverage is not as good as it should be ...

In areas of mountains and especially in the valleys where AM and FM broadcasts do not reach or provide a very unreliable service, the Near Vertical Incidence Skywave tropical band signals provide excellent service. That's whey the Cuban Broadcast Institute now operates a 50 kilowatt high tech transmitter for broadcasting Radio Rebelde's network national program on 5025 kilohertz, using a near verticalncidence sky wave antenna system to provide optimum service up to a distance of 1000 kilometers around the transmitter site...

For Dxers there is a bonus... thantenna does have a small low angle lobe that makes possible listening to Radio Rebelde in many far away places too!!!......

Si amigos, we do QSL, we do verify reception reports and absolutely free of harge... You may send your detailed reception reports and comments about this and other RHC programs to inforhc@enet.cu ,again inforhc@enet.cu , or VIA AIR MAIL send a postcard to Arnie Coro, Radio Havana Cuba, Havana, Cuba... And now la numero uno, the number one most popular section of Dxers Unlimited, ASK ARNIE is on the air...

Today's question sent by listener Dimitri from near St Petersburg, Russia.Dimitri wants to know how he can find the equivalents of solid state devices, so as to make a cross reference between Russian electronic components and those made in Europe, the USA and Asia... Amigo Dimitri, you are not alone , you are facing a huge problem and quite a challenge... because the specification of, for example, bipolar transistors for low signal levels are difficult to match between manufacturers.

Fortunately, there are some general purpose devices that provide a high degree of compatibility, for example I have used here Russian made KT315 NPN low signal transistors to replace many different types made in Japan and Europe with excellent results... I also have created a database that matches to the best possible degree the specifications of many Russian vacuum tubes to their US, Japan and European equivalents...

Second QUESTION... Came from Canada, listener Alex from London, Ontario, is asking about the possible efficiency for short wave reception of a TTFD antenna that in his case,will need to be be only 10 meters or about 33 feet long, as that is all the space he has for his antenna system. Well amigo Alex, here is an important piece of information regarding the TTFD antenna design... the lower cutoff frequency for transmitting is calculated very easily by simple arithmetic...

The TTFD length is calculated by dividing the wavelength by the number three.. so your antenna only 10 meters in overall length will be good for transmitting from 30 meters or 10 megaHertz up... In other words, if you divide 30 meters by 3, your answer will be 10 meters, and that's the length of a TTFD that will be useable for transmitting from 10 megaHertz up... But now the good news, it is a fact of life and fully documented by many users of the TTFD, including yours truly, that a 10 meters or 33 feet long TTFD is certainly a quite useful receiving antenna down to about 5 megaHertz And when used with an antenna tuner it will also put out a useable signal on the 40 meters band, but not as efficiently as the full size half wave dipole antenna cut for that amateur band that has an overall length of 20 meters or 66 feet!!!

So , summarizing, the answer to your question amigo Alex,is, SURE, go ahead and build and then install your 10 meters long TTFD, as per the building instructions that I sent to you sometime ago, and then after using it for a while, please tell me and other Dxers Unlimited's fans around the world about your results !!!

AND remember that the TTFD Antenna's most recent version requires a terminating resistor between 800 and 950 or even one thousand ohms, that it must be a non inductive type of resistor and that it should be properly protected against the weather elements. For transmitting, the TTFD terminating resistor must be rated to a minimum dissipation of one fourth of the transmitter power for average use, and a higher rating if you plan to use full carrier modes like standard RADIO TELETYPE or PSK31 digital keyboard to keyboard mode... My version of the TTFD uses ten 2 Watt 8200 ohms carbon non inductive resistors connected in parallel, to achieve a total termination resistance of near 820 ohms, and with that value, the antenna has worked very well for several years using my 100 Watts transceiver, without any signs of the terminating resistance changing its value.......And now amigos just at the end of the program, as always here is our exclusive and not copyrighted free for all radio hobby enthusiasts worldwide ..Arnie Coro's Dxers Unlimited HF plus low band VHF propagation update and forecast...The effective sunspot number, ESN, continues to be at a dramatically below 10 units, while the actual sunspot optical count was zero on Friday and Saturday, an indication of the almost endless very low solar activity. The daytime maximum useable frequency curve is barely reaching 18 megaHertz on the East-West daytime paths, and as expected, best HF propagation conditions continue to be available just after local sunset.

Expect a lot more sporadic E layer openings, with possible 12, 10 and 6 meters band openings. Atmospheric noise levels are at a pretty high level, as typical of the northern hemisphere summer months... Hope to have you all join me next Tuesday and Wednesday UTC days for the mid week edition of Dxers Unlimited, and don't forget to take a little time and send me your valuable comments and opinions about this program, to help me make it better for you and all listeners around the world !!!(R Havana Cuba)

China CNR-2/CBR, 2224-2243, May 21, resumed their own programming again after days of relaying CNR-1. During the period of national mourning CNR-1 suspended all music and entertainment programming. Television also resumed regular programming today. Heard on 91.4 FM, 6065, 7130, 7140, 7150, 7245, 7315, 9775 and 9820. IDs "China Business Radio", program "Winner's English" presented by Oscar, segment about a lantern festival with Shirley and Laura. May 23, at 1303 usual "English Evening" program, Aaron talking about the quake.

PBS-XZDT, Lhasa, 6200 still with CNR-1 relay on May 23, at 1234.

PBS, Lhasa on 4905 // 4920 not a relay of CNR-1, May 23, at 1239.

Sichuan PBS services heard most days regularly on 6060, 7225 and 9740. Still has some short segments of CNR-1 relays.

Shanghai PBS, 3280 // 4950, heard May 21 at 0811 with CNR-1 relay of a news conference in English and Chinese, followed by an update of the quake (41,353 dead, etc.), with about a 15 second delay behind all the other CNR-1 frequencies. Of course sounded like the local station it is.

Easy FM (CRI) on about 87.9 FM, May 21, at 1211 special programming in English and Chinese about the quake, IDs for CRI Easy FM.

Edward R. Murrow, 1908-1965: The Famous Radio and Television Reporter Helped Create Modern News Broadcasting

I'm Faith Lapidus. and I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today, we tell the story of Edward R. Murrow, a famous radio and television broadcaster. He helped create and develop modern news broadcasting.

Australia15515 Radio Australia (Shepperton). 0417-0426. 24 May 08. English. Sporting event of the football variety. Many references to “scrum.” Does this term relate to both Rugby and Australian Rules football? The teams playing were referred to as the “Blues,” and the “Blacks.” There were also many comments on “Irishmen,” and the “Dodgers.” Fair. (J. Wood, TN).

6079.94, Radio San Gabriel, 0945-0955, Unfortunately Ecuador is mixing with Radio San Gabriel which is a couple of Hertz off freq. Noted a female and male in Spanish language comments, while Ecuador is using a vernacular. Signal was poor. (C. Bolland,FL)

BotswanaVOA Relay 4930 0413 English SIO 232 May 20 Program comments on the American Justice system. Piano music then continued comments on South Africa. //12080 [SIO 433]Madagascar. (S. MacKenzie, CA.)

China6115, Voice of the Strait,(presumed) 1030-1050 Noted steady prepared Chinese language comments from male and female types. Signal was fair at this time, but an hour earlier was nil on this freq even though EIBI had them on since the new day. (C. Bolland, FL May 19, 2008)

9515, China National Radio 2, 1105-1115 With a format of chatter and laughter, noted a number of persons in Chinese language comments. At 1108, a female comments that sounds like news. At 1110 a second female and a male comments. Found a parallel on 9820 kHz while the signal on 9515 was fair. (C. Bolland, FL)

Ecuador4909.19, Radio Chaskis Del Norte, Pres, 1000-1015, Heard music at initial tune in until 1003, the a male comments in Spanish Language briefly. Then back to music which was Rancheros type. Signal was good. (C. Bolland, FL)

Eritrea7100, VOBME, Program 1, *0354-0407, May 24, Interval signal. Talk at 0400. Weak but readable. Covered by noise jammer at 0402.Jammer gone at 0404 along with VOBME. VOBME back at 0406 and so was the noise jammer. Both gone at 0407. (Brian Alexander, PA)

Ethiopia7209.91, Radio Fana, Addis Ababa, *0255-0320, May 24, IS. Good level but covered by BBC 7210 at 0300 sign on. // 6110-covered by WHRI at 0259 sign on. Radio Fana still audible underneath on both frequencies with mix of lite instrumental music and HOA music. (Brian Alexander, PA)

Indonesia9526, Voice of Indonesia, 0940-1000 Noted a female in Indonesian comments until 0944. At that time, music was presented. Signal dropped off the air at 0945 however, in the middle of music. Sat on this freq for a few minutes, but signal never came back.While VOI was on the air, its signal was fair. (C. Bolland, FL May 22, 2008)

9680, RRI Jakarta, 0947-1000 At tune in, noted local type music. Following that, a male and female commence discussing current events in Indo language. At 0956,more local type music again. On the hour, ID given by female. Signal was fair. (C. Bolland, FL May 22, 2008)

Laos6130 Lao National Radio (presumed) no gongs at 1200, but a nice signal with what sounded like news, mentions of Myanmar. I tried to find the regional station at Sam Neua checking 4648, 4678, and 4695, but no joy. (H. Johnson, FL/Cumbre DX)

Mexico4800, XERTA,1005-1015 Period filled with religious music and talk. At about 1009, noted ID in both Spanish and English with URL as: "www.XERTARADIO.com" Signal was very good. This was my unid last weekend on this freq when conditions weren't as good as today. (C. Bolland, FL May 25, 2008)

North Korea11710, Voice of Korea, *1300-1310, May 24, Interval signal into English programming with news, commentary. Very weak. IDed by way of station interval signal. (B. Alexander, PA)

Peru6019.44, Radio Victoria, Lima, 0435-0510, May 24, Spanish sermon. Government mandated National Anthem played at 0502-0505 followed by local music & religious sermon. Difficult copy. Must use ECSS-LSB to avoid CRI via Canada on 6020. // 9720-very weak. (B. Alexander, PA)

6173.81, Radio Tawantinsuyo, 1040-1100 Can pick out the carrier from this station, but the audio is barely audible with the noise. Noted a male in Spanish language comments.With a TC and ID noted at 1044 from a male. Actually the signal starts to fade in at that time to a fair level. "Cinque in manana y ...." "... Radio Tawantinsuyo .." at 1046. This is followed with canned promos and then music. Signal was threshold to fair. (C. Bolland, FL)

5939.30, Radio Melodia, 0920-1030, With a male in Spanish language comments at tune in. A second male joins in. Noted many mentions of "Peru" as the two talked. No break on the half hour. Still audible at 1030. Signal was fair. (C. Bolland, FL)

Philippines9615, Radio Veritas Asia, 1002-1030, Noted a male and female in Chinese language comments/conversation. This format continues until 1025 when music is presented. At 1026, English commences. Signal was good. (C. Bolland, FL May 20, 2008)

6075, Radio Rossii, 0937-0945 Noted a male in Russian language comments. Later a female is heard commenting. A parallel broadcast was picked up on 7320 khz. Both signals were fair. (C. Bolland, FL)

RwandaDeutsche welle realy 7245 0440 English SIO 433 May 20 Items on local power plants that are producing electricity. (S MacKenzie, CA)

South AfricaChannel Africa 7390 0448 French SIO 333 May 20 Program comments followed by regional African music. (S MacKenzie, CA)

Suriname4990, Radio Apintie, 0940-1005 Noted a male and female in Dutch language. Program conversation. At 0954, heard a short period of music. Then more comments untilthe hour. Judging from the format, this sounds like a religious program which continous through the top of the hour. Signal was poor with CODAR and noise. (C. Bolland, FL May 25, 2008)